25 Popular Anime Slangs, a Manga and Anime Lover must know!

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As anime and manga lovers, we spend a good part of our day reading through discussion threads of popular anime on Reddit. Well, we all have to agree with the fact that the Reddit anime communities and discussion forums are the coolest things on the planet!

Many of us are already familiar with Japanese Anime Slangs and phrases integrated into the answers. But for a newbie and also many times when we fail to interpret them, we feel like the single most dumb person in the anime and manga community.

Japanese is much, much more than just ‘Nani’ and ‘Arigatou’. It’s as wide as the ocean. It is impossible to learn all of it in a day. However, we can always begin our journey by taking baby steps towards it. Let’s start with learning the most popular and common Japanese anime slang words that pop up around every text. So buckle up mates, as we are going to learn 25 popular anime fan slang, terms and meanings along with some funny anime slang, that a Manga and Anime Lover like you must know!

Also, check-What are the Best Anime Websites to Watch Anime Free Online in 2021?

Most Common and Popular Manga and Anime Slangs

Shibui

A simple and elegant word, Shibui is used to describe something which is old-fashioned yet cool. In short, you can think of it as “retro cool”.

Mangaka

The mastermind behind any manga, the artist or the author, is called Mangaka. We have all seen how hectic their life can be from the glimpses of Nanako’s dad Shijuurou in Shinchan. If you want to take a deeper look into their everyday work life, watch Manben(created by Naoki Urasawa), a documentary series that depicts the stressful and fascinating lives of manga artists.

Otaku

Otaku anime term needs a special mention since you will come across while discussing your favourite characters. It has a negative connotation and refers to a fetish for anything. For English speaking generation, it is more of pride similar to an “anime nerd.” The word can be used lightly, as well as one used for grave consequences.

Seiyuu

The contribution of voice artists toward the success of any anime is undeniable. Their roles are so sacred that anime makers never replace the voice artist of any character(unless the scenario demands so). Seiyuu is the term given to voice artists of Japanese Anime.

Cour

This one you absolutely cannot miss! Anime follows a pattern where they broadcast the first twelve episodes of a season and then take a short break to return with another set of twelve episodes of the same season. Thus, a set of twelve episodes is called a cour. Similarly, a season with 24 episodes is two cour. We hope you are clear on that.

Waifu

Tired of the usual English word-Wife? Well, start pronouncing Waifu instead. Waifu is used to refer to female anime characters as your wife, just like we refer to our favorite actors as bae. However, this generation is also using waifu to refer to the best girl, or maybe your crush.

Husbando

We already explained Waifu, right? Husbando is used for the opposite gender, that is, male character. Well, we will accept that both these terms are very funny.

Yaoi

Any BL fans here? Those animes are a piece of art, ain’t they? So basically Yaoi is the Japanese term for the BL genre. It simply refers to homoerotic plots revolving around gorgeous boys. A sight you don’t wanna miss(wink!).

Yuri

How can we talk about equal rights and not mention the counterpart of Yaoi, Yuri? Just replace the word boy with girl in Yaoi, and you have Yuri!

Doujinshi

Who said only big mangakas can publish their works? There are events like the Comiket, where people sell their self-published fan arts and short mangas. They are mostly porn, we won’t lie, but some of them are gems that you won’t find anywhere else. Oh, we forgot to say, those fan-made mangas are called Doujinshi!

If life ever gives you the chance to visit a Comiket, believe us, you don’t want to miss it.

Weeb

If you were living a decade back, believe us, you wouldn’t want anybody to call you a Weeb. The term weeb refers to delusional people who tend to show off more than what they actually know about Japan. But now, anime weeb slang is mostly used by people to refer to themselves as huge anime fans. Time has made people kinder, we guess.

Komorebi

This one’s our favorite. Light winds, bright sun, and sunbeam. Sunbeams pass through dense-green leaves. Winds play with the leaves while the shadows dance underneath. Soothes the soul, doesn’t it? We come across such scenic beauty in anime. Komorebi is the word used to define such masterpiece animation of light through leaves.

Shonen

We all have heard of Shoujo- Anime or manga whose MC is a teen girl. Shonen is just the opposite of Shoujo. Here the MC is a teen boy and the main targets are young male audiences.

For mangas, the weekly magazine in production since 1968 is Shonen Jump. It leads the shounen series having published innumerable classics.

Genki

The genre is Shonen again. Here the MC is an energetic, positive, and full-of-life kind of guy. We usually find these kinds of protagonists on kid’s shows.

Gaiden

Love spin-offs of your popular shows? A fan of backstories? The Japanese have a name for spin-offs-’Gaiden’.

Raw

There are so many of us who absolutely hate, hate dubbed anime. We tend to go for subtitles rather than having the voices translated. Japan also believes in keeping some of its contents raw, that is original. You won’t get a translated or dubbed version of those anime or manga anywhere.

Filler

There are anime that after a point have stopped adapting from their original manga as the manga couldn’t keep up with the pace the anime followed. In these scenarios, the original mangaka leaves the equation and, the anime makers start writing their own materials to keep the show running. It results in the anime getting a completely different ending than what the manga originally gets.

Tsundere

Tsun tsun and dere dere, sounds funny? Well, these are the two words tsundere is derived from. The typical manga or anime love/romance story involves an initial cold and stern protagonist turning soft and lovey-dovey after falling in love with the MC. Thus, a tsundere character has two sides, one that they show to the world and the other kinder and warmer side which is reserved for their partner.

Kuudere

If you are looking for a word to describe a cold, emotionless character, Kuudere is what you are looking for. Even though their outer appearance may seem stoic and blank, they can be very caring from inside toward the person they love.

Yandere

Yan means sick and dere dere refers to lovestruck. Sick lovestruck? Of course, no. A Yandere personality is described as being sweet and innocent in public but has a dark, extreme personality inside. These characters are often violent in nature and may or may not have psychotic issues.

Ojou

The older version of shoujo is Ojou, meaning young lady. Typically, these characters are usually rich and have haughty personalities. Their characteristic voice and laugh are everything about their character.

Do check-Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Season 1 is returning with the second cour in Fall 2021

Had fun learning all these cool anime and manga-related Japanese terms? You will surely enjoy what is coming next. It’s Japanese anime slang words(easy-peasy)! You probably heard characters saying these anime nerd slangs, but could not pick them up. So, guys, it’s time you start understanding the Japanese Animation World better.

Yabai

The first Anime slang on our list is Yabai. Depending upon the context, Yabai can mean both “amazing” as well as “crappy” and “awful”. Use it wisely.

Ukeru

Simply speaking, Ukeru is an Anime slang meaning funny. You can use it to refer to the act of laughing or to address something as hilarious.

If you have some time and want to try out something fun, change the language of your Facebook app to Japanese and check the label for the “haha” reaction.

Sugoi

How often do you see something/someone and go “wow!”? Well, go “Sugoi!” instead. You can shorten it further and just say “Suge”.

Cho

Call out to that “Super cute” guy from your school as “Cho kawaii”, and let people around you wonder about what you just said! We must, however, warn you about google translation though:).

Tekito

Are you fed up with your group members being always lazy to contribute to the group project? Bash out on them and call them Tekito( meaning lazy and careless person). We bet they will never know what you meant(see, knowing Anime slang words comes in handy).

Wrapping-up:

So, was that fun? You definitely learned something new and interesting, right? We hope that you can now participate in all the discussion threads like a boss. Use these Japanese words and Anime Slang words casually while speaking to your circle and stand out as the cool and mysterious guy/girl.

Did we miss out on any that you are typically interested to know about? Share with us your queries in the comments box below! Happy to help!

Sangya Chakrabarty
Sangya Chakrabarty
Hi! I am a Kolkata-based engineering student with a passion for writing. I am fond of literally everything that has words and pictures on it (not my textbooks though :) ). I am a huge, huge lover of both cats as well as dogs. That's it,byeee!

6 COMMENTS

  1. I love the slang words used in anime and manga! They make the fan culture so much more fun to read and talk about.

  2. I love the slang words used in anime and manga! They make the fan culture so much more fun to read and talk about.

  3. I love the slang words used in anime and manga! They make the fan culture so much more fun to read and talk about.

  4. I love the slang words used in anime and manga! They make the fan culture so much more fun to read and talk about.

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